Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	begin_v	great_a	time_n	1,599	5	3.2122	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41790	A sigh for peace, or, The cause of division discovered wherein the great Gospel promise of the Holy Ghost, and the doctrine of prayer with imposition of hands, as the way ordained of God to seek for it, is asserted and vindicated, as the interest and duty of Christs disciples in general : in answer to a book intituled A search for schism / by Tho. Grantham ...	Grantham, Thomas, 1634-1692.	1671 (1671)	Wing G1548; ESTC R39437	69,616	172

the peace of our Churches Let me now conclude with a free Word to the Brethren of both perswasions And that is to beseech you to consider one another as Brethren and not as Adversaries and as Brethren to put on Charity one towards another and chiefly you that are zealous for the principle under debate the more you walk in the truth the more it concerns you to shew forth your works with meekness of wisdom and to abound in that gift of the Spirit which hopeth and believeth all things which doubtless will teach you to believe this of your Brethren in general that if they saw the truth as you do they would be nothing less zealous for it then your selves and consider in the mean time as they are erroneous in our judgments and certainly erroneous they are so we seem to be to them And though the consequence of their rejecting one principle of Religion do indeed endanger the rest yet let us believe that if they were awar of this they would abhor such an opinion as doth so prejudice the Doctrine of Christ Our Brethren do err it is true but they err with a conscience void of errour because as may be hoped they know not that they err Now Charity suffereth long and is kind is not puffed up against any that zealously serve the Lord though perhaps they err from many of his Precepts Charity is not the companion of that excess of indiscreet zeal which abounds in some men for it knoweth that temperance is as necessary in our zeal as mercy is in judgment violent Spirits seldom or never doth the Church service without disservice And let us consider that the truth we stand for hath no need of our passions to defend it no it s own authority will support it against the strongest opposition therefore let your moderation appear to all men To the Brethren on the other side Let me thus speak beware that you despise not your Brethren especially you that are men of parts because you being taken for Brethren of high degree must now if you own the truth which you have opposed seem to be abased You that have been Instructers of the simple must now learn of Babes or at least such things as pertains to Babes Whereupon if you ask your consciences I am perswaded you or at least some of you have met with such reasonings as once a Wise man met with upon an occasion like to this when he reasoned with his friend after this manner Because others are gone before is it a shame for us to come after or is it not rather a great shame not at all to go after them Aug. Confess l. 8. c 8. And let it be considered how upon the discovery of the right manner of Baptizing for men had forsaken the way of God both in the subject and manner of that Ordinance there was found a kind of necessity for Christians of ancient standing as it were to begin again And yet some then as you now was by no means to be prevailed with but would at least have the way of baptizing left to every mans liberty as you would have the 4th principle and now the Lord hath pleaded that cause when no other endeavour could prevail for those that stumbled at that truth are in a manner wholly extinct in this Nation whilst those that imbraced it are blessed with great encrease And what shall befall you if to your disobedience you shall add pertinacity a little time may determine By that which hath been said you may perceive Brethren how the case stands betwen us gladly would we have communion with you in all Christian priviledges but your willful want as of some may be feared of one principle of Christian Religion and therewithall your endeavours to deprive our Churches of it as is too evident to be denyed puts a stop to that which is so much desired and how it shall be obtain'd is the business for time to determine and O that the set time were come Mean while we must leave the Searchers and their search our selves and our Sigh to him that will cause all the Churches to know that it is he that searcheth the heart and tryeth the Reins and will give to every man according as his work shall be A Defence of the Offices of Apostles and of the continuance thereof in the Church till the end FOr men to strain more at the Word Apostle as some do at the word Bishop then at the work or Office signified thereby is no other thing as I conceive then groundless humility or hypocritical subtilty seeing it is evident that those Titles are as lowly as any that can be given to sute with the matter thereby intended The first signifying a Messenger or one sent the other an Overseer Wherefore that I may avoid this humour I will not fear to call old things by their old names and therefore shall call the Officers of the Church by the same names which the wisdom of God hath given them not to make them proud but rather humbled and to be as a Memento concerning the work which by their Office they stand engaged to do Nor shall we need at this time to say much of the Officers of the Church generally but only of the Office of Apostles or messengers this because some of our Brethren do not only doubt but endeavour to make others doubtful also whether God hath given to his Church ANY Apostles or Messengers to succeed the Primitive Apostles as a constant Ministery in the Church to the end of the World And albeit we say that the Apostles have Successours as well as Bishops c. yet our meaning is not that there are any that succeed them in all respects for there was in the Office of the chief Apostles something ordinary ●nd fixed and something extraordinary and ●emporary the latter was first their immediate ●ission Secondly they ●earned their Doctrine ei●her from the Sacred Lips ●f the Lord Christ or by ●●fallible Revelation and were not taught it ●y man as Timothy and ●ther their successours ●ere Heb. 2. Great sal●ation which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed to us by them that heard ●im That which we have heard which we have ●●en with our eyes which we have look'd upon and our hands have handled of the word of Life tha● which we have seen and heard declare we unto you 1 John 1. 1 5. But I certifie you Brethren th●● the Gospel which was preached of me was not afte● man for I neither receive● it of man neither was taught it but by the Revelatio● of Jesus Christ Gal. 1. 11. Thirdly They were t● lay a Foundation and t● propose a form of Doctrin● for other Teachers to buil● on and to keep as their pattern and a Standard by which to trie others Doctrine an● Spirits 1 Cor. 3. 10. as a wise Master builde● I have laid the Foundation and another